This invention relates to telecommunications services and, more particularly, to determining whether a particular subscriber line can accommodate high speed data services.
Packet data services have exploded onto the telecommunications scene as evidenced by the popularity of the Internet, facsimile machines and video-on-demand. The demand that packet data transmissions place on telecommunications systems designed for voice is substantial. Traditional subscriber lines (that is, the connection between customer premises equipment and telecommunications equipment, also known as the xe2x80x9clocal loopxe2x80x9d) are being revamped to accommodate the desire for ever increasing bandwidth for retrieving data at the fastest rate possible. Although some subscribers have abandoned traditional telecommunications services altogether (e.g., opting for cable modems to satisfy their bandwidth needs), others choose to use existing telecommunications subscriber lines for a new type of service.
More particularly, XDSL (or xe2x80x9cXxe2x80x9d digital subscriber line) is a digital connection to a location of a subscriber over existing, standard, single twisted pair wiring already connected to most premises. The xe2x80x9cXxe2x80x9d is a generic reference to indicate that there are many types of DSL service. As a result of its increased transmission capacity compared to standard telephone connections, XDSL promises to transmit large amounts of data to the premises of subscribers for computer, video and other operations in a fast and efficient manner. There are many different types of DSL services such as asymmetrical digital subscriber line (ADSL), high bit rate digital subscriber line (HDSL), high bit rate digital subscriber 2 (HDSL-2), symmetric digital subscriber line (SDSL), very high speed digital subscriber line (VDSL), ADSL-lite, and other high speed digital services.
All subscriber lines do not possess the capability of supporting high speed data services due to deficiencies in loop transmission characteristics. Therefore, service providers offering XDSL or other high speed data services to potential subscribers must first determine if the local loop can support this service. Service providers having physical access to local loops via traditional test equipment, such as mechanized loop testing (MLT) equipment, can easily perform tests to determine if a particular line is XDSL capable. MLT equipment provides computer control of the loop testing function and provides full diagnostic outputs.
As XDSL and other high speed services continue to increase in popularity, however, an ever-increasing number of service providers will offer high speed services to potential subscribers. Many of these service providers will not be able to perform metallic loop testing due to the lack of physical access to the local loop. For these service providers, the only existing option for subscriber loop testing is the dispatch of test personnel to the local loop site.
It is recognized that an unobtrusive method for testing the capability of a subscriber line for handling high speed data services is required. This need is addressed and a technological advance is achieved in the telecommunications art by using embedded test signals in call processing for determining if a particular subscriber line is high speed data (or XDSL) capable.
The test equipment generates test signals initiated upon certain call processing triggers. For example, indications of a busy signal, a xe2x80x9cfastxe2x80x9d busy signal, voice, announcement or audible ringing can trigger initiation of embedded test signaling in the form of xe2x80x9cpinkxe2x80x9d noise or some other range of frequencies to the subscriber line. A response signal from the subscriber line is received and analyzed. One form of analysis is comparing the response signal with empirical or simulated data for determining whether specific properties of the subscriber line enable high speed data service capability.
Advantageously, test personnel or even the service provider who maintains the subscriber line need not accomplish testing of a subscriber line. Indeed, any node in the public switched telephone network (PSTN) with access to call processing signals can issue embedded tones to determine the capabilities of a particular subscriber line.